


the late shift

by rosssaliie



Category: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25142740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosssaliie/pseuds/rosssaliie
Summary: edmund gets stuck working the late shift at the coffee shop, with a handsome co-worker he's never met.
Relationships: Caspian/Edmund Pevensie
Comments: 3
Kudos: 91





	the late shift

Spare Room was hardly the busiest coffee shop in London. It wasn’t even close to being the biggest. But it was popular amongst people who appreciated an antique and vintage feel to their surroundings. The old wood carvings that paneled the walls were from a salvage yard a few towns over. All the drinks were hand pressed; no fancy espresso machines in sight. The guy who owned the place was super specific about the aesthetic he wanted the shop to have, which meant nothing new or shiny. Not that he appeared too much to enforce his own rules. He worked through the manager, Peter, to make sure everything was exactly the way he wanted it. 

Peter was a stickler for following the boss’s requests. He’d been managing the coffee shop for a couple years now, so he was the only one who knew how important the upkeep was. 

Edmund, on the other hand, was more of a rule _breaker_ than a _follower_. He was lucky his older brother could convince the owner to hire him as a barista, and even luckier that he had managed to hold the job. The work wasn’t hard, and he got paid well, so he rolled with it. 

But tonight - of all nights - he’d been given the closing shift. He’d been in since the late afternoon, dealing with picky customers and wiping up spilled drinks. The day had been long enough, and now he had to stay even later to clean and prep for tomorrow. 

“Come _on_ , Pete! _Please_ just get someone else to do it!” Edmund groaned, as his brother locked the bolt on the front door. 

Peter shook his head. “It’s too late for that. Caspian will be here any minute. He always works closing, so if you just listen to him, the time should go by quickly.” He ran a hand through his slicked brown hair, disheveling it ever so slightly. The two walked behind the counter, which looked more like the bow of a ship than anything, where Peter picked up a clipboard and checked something off. 

Edmund had never met Caspian. He usually worked with Peter or Jill, a university girl his age. He wasn’t exactly great with meeting new people. He leaned back against the counter, casting his brown eyes down in defeat. Not a moment later, he heard the back door creak open.

“And that’ll be him,” Peter said. 

A man with long brown hair stepped out from the back room. He was tying an apron around his waist, covering his black jeans. “Hey, Pete,” he greeted, offering his hand to the manager. He then turned to Edmund. “Caspian, nice to meet you.”

Not wanting to be impolite, Edmund returned the gesture, shaking his hand. “Yeah, you too,” he said in a less than enthusiastic voice. Upon looking at Caspian, he couldn’t deny that there was something about him that just… was intriguing. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. But he was determined to figure it out before the end of the night. 

Peter handed Caspian a key. “Well, you know the rules, so I’ll just leave you to it. Lock the back door on your way out, and I will see you,” he turned to Edmund, “at home. Night.” With that, he left the clipboard on the counter and saw himself out through the back room.

Caspian smiled kindly at Edmund. “So, are you ready to get started?”

Edmund shrugged. “Sure, but I’ve never closed before, so I don’t exactly know what I’m doing.” The two walked into the back room. This is where the industrial sinks for washing dishes were, as well as their inventory for all the drinks and food they served. “It’s probably easier to just let me leave, so you can do… whatever it is you do on your own. And that way, I won’t slow you down.” He gave Caspian a sympathetic look, hoping it would be easy to convince him. 

But the guy just shrugged. “Nonsense. Two people will make the work go faster.” He pulled a mop bucket from the corner of the room. “We’ll start by mopping.” He pointed behind Edmund. “Grab those.” 

The young Pevensie turned around, spotting two mops leaning against the wall. He groaned, but did as he was told, handing them off to Caspian. He watched as the other man filled the bucket, soaking the mops in the hot water. “So what kind of a name is ‘Caspian’ anyway? What is this, the Renaissance?” 

Caspian chuckled and grabbed the large bottle of floor cleaner from under the sink. He set the extendable faucet head back on the hook above the sink. “No, I guess not.” He poured some of the cleaner into the water. “But it was my father’s name. He died before I was born, so… my mother gave me his name. So that I wouldn’t forget that he was a great man.” He set the bottle back, straightening up and sighing sadly. After a moment of staring at nothing, he snapped back into the present. “Alright, let’s start out front.” 

Edmund took the left side of the shop, while Caspian took the other. They mopped in silence. Caspian seemed content to do so, off in his own world of thought as he worked. Edmund, however, hated the quiet. Not because he wanted to _talk_ to Caspian, of course. But the silence was just _there_ , like some big gross monster that he had to ignore. All the ambient noise was building, bashing into his ears. The sloshing of the water, the muffled car horns outside, the light ticking of the clock. He leaned against his mop and sighed, looking back at the long haired man. What was so great about him anyway? He wasn’t _that_ good looking - at least, that’s what Edmund tried to tell himself. 

“You alright there?” 

Edmund blinked, forcing his eyes to refocus. Caspian was staring at him, an eyebrow raised quizzically. “Oh. Yeah, fine, just exhausted. You know how it is.” He resumed pushing his mop back and forth, suddenly feeling flushed. “Look, how long is this gonna take? I really just wanna go home.” 

Caspian glanced over from his own work, examining how well his coworker had done. “I’d say that’s good for now.” He plopped his mop back into the bucket, wheeling it over to Edmund. “Now it’s time to clean the equipment.” With a sigh from the other boy, he snatched the second mop and went into the back room. 

The blue eyed boy leaned his head back and gritted his teeth together, but followed Caspian anyway. Together, they gathered the coffee presses and steam cups, and loaded them into the large square sink in back. Moments later, the warm water had risen to just below the edge of the basin. Bubbles were scattered across the surface of the water. 

“Here,” Caspian handed Edmund a pair of rubber gloves. He had a small smile on his face, looking his coworker up and down. “You seem a bit young to be working here. How old are you?” He slipped on his own gloves, plunging his hands into the water. 

Edmund did the same, grabbing the first thing his hands could find and starting to scrub with a sponge. “I’m 21! Not that it’s any of your business.” He laser focused onto what he was doing, trying to ignore Caspian, who he could feel was staring at him. There was an awkward silence now lingering, just water splashing between them. 

Caspian chewed his bottom lip and nodded. “I’m 24-” 

“So what?” Edmund spat out. He ripped off the gloves and shoved them into the water, storming out front. He tore his apron from around his body, casting it aside. With tense hands, he messed up his hair and rubbed his eyes. 

The taller boy quickly took off his own gloves, laying them over the side of the sink. He followed after Edmund. “What’s your problem?” He leaned against the counter, staring at his coworker in confusion. “I get that you don’t want to be here, that’s fine. But taking it out on me is _not_ fair!” He slammed a hand down on the wood. 

Edmund spun around to face him. His eyes scanned Caspian’s body, noting the stretch of his shirt over his arm muscles. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at Caspian. He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I’m out of here.” He made a move to leave.

Caspian grabbed him by the arm. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re going to stay and help me finish the job that Peter gave us. If you want to ignore me, fine. Ignore me.” His eyes flitted down to his hand on Edmund’s bicep. After a second, they reconnected with Edmund’s gaze. “But do it while you do your job.” He released his grip, turning away and heading back to the sink. He sighed heavily, slipping his gloves back on and continuing his work. 

A long minute passed, when a song came on through the speakers in the shop. 

Caspian looked out towards the front room. A few hairs fell from the half ponytail he’d done, and between the falling strands, he could see Edmund turning the volume up on the sound system. 

The boy seemed utterly relaxed somehow. His head was tossed back and there was the faintest smile playing at his lips. He moved his arms in a waving motion, with seemingly no real direction. It was movement for movement's sake. The beat of the music got heavier, and with it, Edmund made bigger gestures with his hands. He started stomping his feet to the rhythm, dancing through the coffee shop from one end to the other. He caught Caspian’s eye from around the back doorway. “Well?” One of his hands stretched out to his friend and he winked. 

Unable to resist his curiosity, Caspian met Edmund in the middle of the floor and took him by the hand. Together, they started twirling randomly. They spun across the shop, letting the sound waves dictate their bodies. Slowly, laughter erupted from Caspian’s throat. He let out a loud chuckle, letting it evolve into a howl that rumbled in his chest. There was a feeling of being present, not having to worry about the world, circulating the room. It felt impossible to let go of. 

But then the song ended. The two were pulled back into the world, left staring at each other in a silence they both reveled in. A new, slower song began playing. It mellowed out the mood, giving both guys a chance to look down at their entwined hands. 

Caspian bit his lip, feeling his neck and cheeks flush. But still, he stepped back. “We should get back to work, eh?” He pulled his hands from Edmund’s and patted him on the shoulder, turning away without a glance. 

Edmund stood there, eyes closed and a wide grin stretched across his face. He returned to his place next to Caspian, grabbing a new pair of gloves from a shelf. 

They worked side by side, quietly chatting about their lives between sessions of singing along to music. The sun continued to sink in the sky, but neither of them noted the time. They were both focused on each other's words, hanging on them like they were life lines. Eventually, their work came to an end; everything had been scrubbed and prepped for the next day. The antique clock on the wall read _10:07_ pm. Edmund grabbed his phone from beside the speaker, pausing the music. Caspian tossed the keyring in his hand. They both stood silently behind the counter, each holding something back. Neither could meet the other’s eyes, only able to look anywhere but their faces. 

“Well, thanks for helping out tonight,” Caspian finally said. “Hopefully Peter won’t give you the late shift anymore.” He pulled the hair tie from his ponytail, letting his hair fall gracefully around his face. 

Edmund shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind it so much. If it means we’re working together, that is.” He scratched the back of his neck, finally directing his eyes to Caspian’s. “I mean, it was… actually kind of fun.” He went to walk past him, pausing briefly at his side. “We should do it again sometime.” Gazing up at Caspian, he smirked, and continued towards the back door. 

He felt absolutely stunned, in the best way possible. It was weird to think that in the span of a few hours, he’d developed a crush on the 21-year-old. Ruining their working relationship wasn’t something he really wanted to risk, but he knew that if he didn’t act now, he might never. He could hear Edmund’s steps receding, and could only think to move fast. He spun on his heels, swiftly pinning Edmund against the wall. Without a second thought, he kissed him. It took him a moment to realize exactly what he was doing, and another moment after that to feel hands wrapping around his neck. He was kissing Edmund, and Edmund was kissing him back. 

It was slow at first, and soft; the kind of kiss you would expect to be your first. The kind that makes you think, have you ever kissed _anyone?_ But after they both realized what was happening, and that neither of them wanted it to stop, it changed. It was hungry and desperate. Their lips crashed together, over and over, pulling away but returning to meet again. Hands wound in hair, bodies pressed together, they were in their own world. It was hard to think of anything outside this very second. This was everything.

Edmund let his nimble fingers begin untying the knots in Caspian’s apron - first, the one around his neck, and then around his waist. He could feel the heavy piece of fabric land at his feet, but it was the last thing on his mind. His hands gripped the collar of Caspian’s shirt. All he wanted was to feel him closer. 

Caspian felt a tug on his collar, and knew exactly what it meant. He slipped his hands between the buttons of Edmund’s shirt, expertly popping two of them undone. But then he paused, and lifted his face away. “Wait,” he said breathlessly. He couldn’t help his smile that kept growing. 

“What?” Edmund shook his head. “What’s wrong?” He held onto Caspian’s shirt, adjusting his grip. 

He looked around. “You really want to do this here?” He looked down at the open buttons, and began redoing them. “No, that doesn’t seem right.” He leaned down, letting his lips graze Edmund’s ear. “I know somewhere better.” 

That was all it took for both of them to gather their things and sprint out the door. 

\- - -

It must’ve been around _2:00_ am when Edmund tried his best to quietly sneak into his apartment. He shut the door as gently as he could. He took measured, gentle steps, moving through the kitchen and into the living room. His room was just down the hall, so if he could just-

A light flipped on behind him. Peter stood at the switch, dressed in his pajamas and looking annoyed as ever. “Where were you?” he asked simply. 

Edmund held his breath, trying to think of a lie as quickly as he could. “It… took us a lot longer to clean up than we thought it would. And… when we were done… we went to the pub. To get to know each other better.” He bit his lip, hoping that his brother would accept his explanation and let it go. 

Peter nodded slowly. “Mmhm…” He narrowed his eyes at Edmund, looking him over. After a minute of silence, he turned the light off and headed towards his bedroom down the other hallway. 

With a heavy exhale, Edmund smiled. He went into his room and shut the door behind him, leaning against it blissfully. He couldn’t stop thinking about his night - or Caspian. He tossed his jacket onto his floor and fell back onto his bed. Just as he was about to close his eyes, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Eagerly, thinking it could be Caspian, he dug it out and opened the message. Unfortunately, it was from Peter, instead. And it was probably the single most horrifying sentence Edmund had ever read.

_Your buttons are done up wrong, idiot._


End file.
